Views on future technology

Pew Research published new findings on attitudes by Americans on future technology. “Asked to describe in their own words the futuristic inventions they themselves would like to own, the public offered three common themes: 1) travel improvements like flying cars and bikes, or even personal space crafts; 2) time travel; and 3) health improvements that extend human longevity or cure major diseases. At the same time, many Americans seem to feel happy with the technological inventions available to them in the here and now … When asked for their general views on technology’s long-term impact on life in the future, technological optimists outnumber pessimists by two-to-one. Six in ten Americans (59%) feel that technological advancements will lead to a future in which people’s lives are mostly better, while 30% believe that life will be mostly worse. … Despite their general optimism about the long-term impact of technological change, Americans express significant reservations about some … potentially short-term developments.”